What Is the Second-Best SS reel for processing 120 film?

I think that Nikor reels and tanks are a bit thin on the ground in Australia so I use LPL tanks and a mixture of Hewes and LPL reels Preferably the Hewes reels unless I have more than two films to process and I don't have time to dry the reels.

I've read that metal reels can be loaded while still wet but I don't like the idea of handling a wet reel inside a changing bag.

Because 120 reels are made of thicker wire compared to those for 35mm, I find that nearly all reels work fine as long as they're undamaged. I have a couple of Hewes 120 reels, but don't find them significantly better than my no-name reels.

35mm is a different story. The Hewes are great for 35mm, and worth the cost.

I have used Nikor since late 1960s-early 1970s. I have a stainless steel guide that fits in the palm of the hand and makes loading the reels flawlessly easy. With no need to shop, I don’t know if these guides are still available new.

tokam said:

I think that Nikor reels and tanks are a bit thin on the ground in Australia so I use LPL tanks and a mixture of Hewes and LPL reels Preferably the Hewes reels unless I have more than two films to process and I don't have time to dry the reels.

I've read that metal reels can be loaded while still wet but I don't like the idea of handling a wet reel inside a changing bag.

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Besides their quality construction and durability, the Nikor kit have something else going for them.

Compared especially to plastic alternatives, the Nikor reel winds have a relatively small contact surface with the film and good spacing. This encourages good fluid exchange across the surface of the film as you agitate. For the ordinary case, this results in consistent development at the edges of film.

Where it really shows up is if you do semistand or EMA extended, low agitation development. The high walls of other reels - again, especially plastic - will cause developer trapping along the edges and will cause all manner of bromide drag nasties. Even with the Nikors, you have to suspend the reel well above the bottom of the tank (I use an inverted funnel) so that gravity can do its job and drag the development byproducts away from the film. The minimal contact and wider wind spacing makes that gravity draining work pretty well.

I also like the Nikors for their ease of maintenance and cleaning. A quick rinse and you're done. With black plastic, I'm never quite sure the ghosts of the last developer or fix have been entirely expunged

This is not to say there are not other quality stainless systems available, but I haven't personally used them. I will say that the one time I strayed from Nikon and got a different stainless tank & reel system, it came with a plastic lid that snapped into place. Imagine my horror when I discovered that at least one of those lids had not been properly manufactured and was so thin it was leaking light upon my film. I promptly ceased any use of those lids (though the tanks were entirely usable).

chuckroast said:

Besides their quality construction and durability, the Nikor kit have something else going for them.

Compared especially to plastic alternatives, the Nikor reel winds have a relatively small contact surface with the film and good spacing. This encourages good fluid exchange across the surface of the film as you agitate. For the ordinary case, this results in consistent development at the edges of film.

Where it really shows up is if you do semistand or EMA extended, low agitation development. The high walls of other reels - again, especially plastic - will cause developer trapping along the edges and will cause all manner of bromide drag nasties. Even with the Nikors, you have to suspend the reel well above the bottom of the tank (I us and inverted funnel) so that gravity can do its job and drag the development byproducts away from the film. But the minimal contact an wider wind spacing makes that gravity draining work pretty well.

I also like the Nikors for their ease of maintenance and cleaning. A quick rinse and you're done. With black plastic, I'm never quite sure the ghosts of the last developer or fix have been entirely expunged

This is not to say there are not other quality stainless systems available, but I haven't personally used them. I will say that the one time I strayed from Nikon and got a different stainless tank & reel system, it came with a plastic lid that snapped into place. Imagine my horror when I discovered that at least one of those lids had not been properly manufactured and was so thin it was leaking light upon my film. I promptly ceased any use of those lids (though the tanks were entirely usable).

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Kinderman are easily the equal of Nikor. The plastic/rubber lids for the steel tanks have lasted indefinitely & the Kinderman loaders for both 35mm & 120 are real engineering dreams. I agree entirely re: plastic reels.

GregY said:

Kinderman are easily the equal of Nikor. The plastic/rubber lids for the steel tanks have lasted indefinitely & the Kinderman loaders for both 35mm & 120 are real engineering dreams. I agree entirely re: plastic reels.

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Yep, I'm sure there are viable alternatives, I've just never explored them

chuckroast said:

Yep, I'm sure there are viable alternatives, I've just never explored them

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Hewes, Kinderman, Nikor (i have and use all of them).....they all meet the gold standard.

Every time I see the title to this thread, I can't help to think of this thoroughly enjoyable movie:

MattKing said:

Every time I see the title to this thread, I can't help to think of this thoroughly enjoyable movie:

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I thought it was a reaction to the other active thread proposing that 'best' questions be discouraged. Asking for the 'second best' would seem to be a workaround

As someone who has made several unsuccessful attempts over the years to master loading SS reels with 120 film, I have a question for you guys who can do it successfully: Do you use the clip in the middle of the reel to secure the film, and if so, how do you get the film centered in the clip?

SodaAnt said:

As someone who has made several unsuccessful attempts over the years to master loading SS reels with 120 film, I have a question for you guys who can do it successfully: Do you use the clip in the middle of the reel to secure the film, and if so, how do you get the film centered in the clip?

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I slide the end of the film into the open by the clip but do not actually clip it. I hold it there with one hand while winding with the other. That way, you don't have to worry about it being perfectly centered in the clip.

The loading guides help alot, and you get less crimping/puckering of thin films

I have this Kinderman, but I’ve never tried it because my Jobo works perfectly, and I’m so used to it, I could load film with my eyes closed (kidding!).

Is it worth giving the Kinderman a shot? I might ruin a roll or two, and I definitely don’t need that hassle, but at the same time, it’s just sitting in my drawer, looking nice, and has never been used.

Thanks to lucky circumstances, I was able to obtain some Hewes 120 ss reels at reasonable cost from Photrio member MattKing. So it was not necessary for me to try some of the alternative brands of reels. After reading the helpful replies to my question, however, I am inclined to think this is the correct answer by @mrosenlof, and others:
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"Because 120 reels are made of thicker wire compared to those for 35mm, I find that nearly all reels work fine as long as they're undamaged. I have a couple of Hewes 120 reels, but don't find them significantly better than my no-name reels.

35mm is a different story. The Hewes are great for 35mm, and worth the cost."
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If I ever need any more 120 reels (unlikely), based on multiple recommendations in this thread, I would not hesitate to buy Kindermann or Nikor reels.

Several posts have brought up the topic of tanks. While it seems that Nikor reels are well liked, I wonder if the same can be said about Nikor tanks?

The Nikor tank I have is all stainless steel, including the lid and the cap. It looks to be very well made, but for me, it is frustrating to use. While I can tolerate a small amount of leaking while inverting, the main problem for me is the Nikor lid has a tendency to stick to the tank -- so tightly I sometimes need to pry it off with a tool, like a putty knife. I soon learned to avoid tapping the tank down bottom first to dislodge bubbles, because that action invariably results in a stuck lid. On the plus side, the ss Nikor lid will never split like the rubber/plastic lids will eventually do.

I had never heard of the LPL brand before I saw the recommendation from @Philippe-Georges in post #3. I have yet to see a LPL brand reel, but the LPL tank I got from MattKing is a lucky find! Like the Nikor tanks, the LPL tank is all stainless steel including the lid and cap. Unlike my Nikor tank, the LPL lid does not get jammed, and the cap has a little tab that makes it much easier to remove compared the Nikor cap, which is always either too loose and leaks, or too tight.

Glad you like them .
WRT the Nikor cap, past experience taught me to twist while you pull up.
And the plastic lids and caps work well on them